Urban greening & cooling

Densely populated communities like Waverley experience an effect called the ‘urban heat island’, when the roads and buildings absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat, raising the temperature locally in the day and especially at night. The increase in temperature can be significant, up to 7 °C when compared to the countryside.

‘Green cover’ refers to both the tree canopy and ground vegetation. Green cover not only provides shade, biodiversity habitat, absorbs stormwater and localised flooding, but vegetation can counter the urban heat island effect through a process called evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration occurs when the sun’s rays hit the trees’ canopy, causing water to evaporate from the leaves, and reducing the energy left to warm the air (read more).

The 2023 Urban Greening and Cooling Strategy sets out the actions required to achieve 35% green cover by 2032, comprising 20% canopy cover and 15% shrub cover. The strategy is centred around four goals:

  1. Protect, restore and enhance public trees and green space, which includes actions such as strengthening Council’s LEP, DCP and Tree Management Policy, incorporating urban vegetation in streetscape upgrades, and updating the species of plants utilised.
  2. Foster vegetation protection on private land, including strengthening deep soil protections in Development Assessment (DA) pathways and potentially incentivising the protection of mature trees.
  3. Activate community stewardship for trees and greening, such as through the existing Living Connections and Bushcare programs, community gardens and potentially tree sponsorship.
  4. Safeguard our trees and vegetation assets, through actions such as more frequent follow up of DAs involving trees, action against vandals, and implementing the Biodiversity Action Plan.